Individuals with certain impairments (visual impairment, musculoskeletal impairment, neurological disorders, etc.) may have difficulty operating appliances with conventional appliance controls, such as e.g., knobs, rotary dials, switches, etc. Often the position and/or orientation of a conventional appliance control dictates the mode of operation or setting of the appliance. For example, cooktop appliances traditionally include control knobs that can be rotated to adjust the power setting (e.g., “high”, “medium”, “low”, “off”, etc.) of one of the heating elements of the cooktop appliance. If an individual is unable to discern the selected power setting, the individual's experience with the cooktop appliance may be greatly diminished and proper usage may be difficult.
Conventionally, few assistive options have been available for individuals with impairments in operating their appliances. In some instances, for example, individuals have resorted to memorizing the modes of operation of their appliances in order to select the desired control setting. In other instances, individuals have turned to expensive alternatives, such as purchasing custom appliances with modified appliance controls or employing a caretaker to operate their appliances. Memorizing how the position of the appliance control corresponds to the modes of operation of the appliance can be an inconvenience. Moreover, custom appliances are generally expensive, not readily available in the marketplace, and not customized to the particular needs of an individual. In addition, employing a caretaker can be expensive and can result in a loss of independence for the individual.
Accordingly, an assistive control attachment for a consumer appliance would be useful. More particularly, an assistive control attachment that includes features for communicating the mode of operation of an appliance to a user would be particularly beneficial.